More Primary Musings

In my recent post about the Republican presidential candidates, I had little to say about Fred Thompson except to observe that he doesn't really seem to want the job very much and that thus far I haven't been terribly impressed by his television appearances. After reading my post, my husband (who is not planning to vote for Thompson) remarked, "You were kind of unfair to Thompson." Then in her comment on my post my friend Elephant Child wrote, "I don't think I want someone as my president who REALLY WANTS the job. . . Being president is a miserable job, really . . . and I want someone who realizes that upfront and is willing to serve anyway."

I find that to be a very thoughtful observation. Yet I think what I was trying to get at with my "he doesn't want it" statement is what strikes me as a certain lack of passion on the part of Thompson. I understand that the presidency is a thankless job and that anyone in his right mind would probably have some reservations about taking it on. But I would like my president to be someone who is passionate about his beliefs and who has the ability to inspire others to share in his vision. And so far I just haven't gotten that from Thompson.

But as I reflect on my previous post, I am struck by the brevity of my comments on Thompson. In all honesty, he is something of an unknown to me. The debates and interviews on which I saw him were fairly soon after his annnouncement, and I have been too busy to watch the last round of debates. So I have decided that he, like McCain, deserves a second look from me, and in fact my first New Year's resolution will be to give both of these candidates another chance at my vote.

By the way, in the near future be looking for a guest post on the election from Mr. Round Unvarnished Tale himself (the smartest political mind I know)!